FRP 279 Wildland Urban Interface Risk Reduction

Lecture Hours: 3
Credits: 3

Designed to provide education and training for fire prevention personnel who provide fire prevention-risk reduction services in the wildland urban interface environment by introducing the student to hazard identification, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery strategies. Includes understanding the historical and current hazards associated with wildland urban interface fires, strategies for protecting homes, programs and grant funds available to aid with prevention, community education and prevention strategies, evacuation planning and structural triage methods.

Prerequisite: Completion of both FRP 191 and FRP 192 each with a grade of C or better; NWCG S130/S190/L180 or equivalent certification; or consent of the instructor.

Differential Fee Yes
Student Learning Outcomes:

Recognize the importance of historical wildland fire and community conflagration as it relates to the current wildland urban interface (built environment) that exists today.
Analyze and determine creation of defensible space and hardening of structures.
Explain methods of fuels management.
Identify grant funding opportunities for creation of defensible space, access, home hardening and fuels reduction management.
Evaluate an emergency evacuation plan.
Create a community public education plan related to wildland urban interface problems.
Complete a structural triage of a property.

Content Outline

Wildland Fire History
- Historical conflags great Chicago, Peshtigo, San Francisco
- 20-30 year historical incidents
- 5-10 year historical incidents
- Context between historical wildfire impacts vs. the wildland events we see now impacting the built environment
Current Wildland Problem
- Common themes that span the years- weather, weather supply, access/egress, building materials etc
- Natural causes and mandmade fires
- Three leading causes of fires…men, women, and children
- Outdoor fire safety and prevention (backyard burning, burn barrels, campfires, mowing farming operations, gopher control, etc)
- Poor land management practices
- Far reaching impacts to communities - response and recovery

Defensible Space
- What is it
- How it works
- Why it is important
- How to evaluate defensible space options
- How to create defensible space
Hardening a home
- What does this mean
- How it works
- Why it is important
- Building and construction materials
- Hardening strategies
Fuels Reduction Management
- What is it
- How it works
- How to evaluate
- Planning- short and long term
- Individual and community concept
- Best practices for community projects
  - green waste days
  - curbside chipping
  - dumpsters rentals
  - contract management for contractors.
Grant Funding Opportunities
- What is available- local, regional, state, federal
- Prevention funding
- Recovery funding
- Community Wildland Protection Plans (CWPPs) and why they matter for funding
Evacuation Preparation
- Preparation
- Communication- how to access information resources
- Ready-Set-GO!
- Fire service’s role

Community Public Education
- Program development
- Existing programs
- Jurisdiction and partnerships
- Non-Governmental Organziations (NGO’s)
Structural Triage
- How it is done
- Why it is important to responders and homeowners
- How all of the above can affect your home’s triage “status”
- How to talk to homeowners about this